Strengths, come from unexpected places
by stop reading my pen name
Summary: Protecting. Emotions. I loathed it. Yet here I am doing exactly what I had looked down upon. I fear...for my mate...and my pup.... *is now a story! It will be a series of one-shots.*
1. Chapter 1

Okay this is just a little one-shot I wrote during Language Arts, I've been suffering major writers block, and this story broke the dam. My stories will be updated soon, and I'm adding another story soon. Written in Sesshomaru's POV. Enjoy.

I am Sesshomaru.

I am the most powerful youki in the Western Lands.

I have surpassed my great and powerful father.

I have expanded my lands, and these lands flourish.

I do not need the Shikon No Tama to increase my powers.

I have never lost a war.

I have been named as the most powerful and fiercest youki in existence.

No one has tarnished my name and lived to tell the tale.

I know no challenge.

I fear no one, nor anything.

But.

I fear for my mate and my young pup.

My two most precious treasures.

They sleep peacefully, warmed by the fire which gently crackles. Its flickering flames shadows on their faces.

My mate cradles our pup against her chest, arms wrapped protectively around the pup. A soft wind whistles gently, the night is cold.

My mate and pup shiver slightly; Ah-Un stands, and protectively curls around them shielding them from the winds.

I fear for them, in a world where this joining is looked down upon, they are in constant danger from my enemies.

And I protect them without any second thoughts.

Protecting. Emotions.

I loathed and despised those two actions. Yet here I am, doing exactly that.

I have been called weak, for protecting them and caring for them.

But I have not weakened, on the contrary.

I have become stronger.

I have become stronger because of them, for them.

I am no longer the cruel cold-hearted monster I once was. _She_ had changed that.

My mate. My Rin.

Emotions I had banished long ago, begun resurfacing slowly but surely. Soon without noticing, she had melted me.

Love, compassion, mercy, benevolence, hate, and fear.

Fear.

And now, I stand here silently watching over my family.

Stronger than I have ever been before in my life.

Maybe. Just maybe.

Father was right.

Protecting them had not made me weaker. Quietly, Akiko whines in protest as Rin hugs her too tightly. Rins embrace loosens slightly.

My lips twitch slightly as a faint, ghostly smile adorns my lips.

Yes.

My two precious treasures.

For them I love.

For them I fear.

For them I am strong.


	2. Chapter 2

I decided to take a crack at Rin's thoughts, hope you like it.

HA! Ima gonna brag now! begins singing my beta reader is CelestialDragon423! In all of you're faces XD snaps finger in air. Meh XD i'm so happy, ducks as someone throws shoe don't be jealous cuz my beta reader is better than you!

Disclaimer: I do not own any Inuyasha characters they belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

I smile as I watch Akiko become excited as she senses her father's return. My heart swells once more in pride as I gaze at her, and note how she has taken after her father. Her hair cascades down her back like a silver waterfall, and her side ponytail joins in the waves. Her midnight blue lightning marks that lie directly under her eyes and the beautiful magenta crescent moon that adorns her forehead resemble his remarkably.

Her dark golden eyes glitter in excitement, and her cute blue-tipped dog ears twitch with excitement, then she squeals, revealing small baby fangs as she sees her father. She dashes forward at inhuman speed and throws her arms around him screaming, "Papa!"

Akiko was barely four years old, and she was a thing of beauty.

Sess' amber eyes twinkle with amusement as she clings to him, chattering about her adventures and how she had missed him. Jaken watches in mute awe still trying to become accustomed to this. He shakes his head and walks toward me, giving me a slight bow of his head, and greeting me.

I reach forward and hug him saying," Silly Master Jaken." He stiffens and shouts," Let me go!"

Before I let him go, I grab his hand. He stares at me strangely, as I put his hand on my belly. His strange gaze turns into mute shock and excitement as he feels a slight kick on his hand. I give him a gentle a smile, as he visibly relaxes from his stiff posture. When he takes a deep breath he suddenly stiffens again as he gets a good whiff. And I know he can smell it.

And soon so would my mate.

Flashback:

Akiko ran in circles around me, giggling and screaming, "You can't catch me!"

I smiled, and as Akiko came to spin around again in front of me, I swooped down, grabbed her, and twirled her around. She laughed and squealed in joy. Then a village came into view.

I took this village into much consideration. I needed supplies and I was currently in need of a new kimono, and some honey-comb. My belly was now a bit bigger with an unborn pup, and I was a bit weaker than normal. I stayed still a moment and briefly wondered if I should go alone; Ah-Un was able to care for Akiko as well, if not better than, Jaken. Ah-Un nuzzled my back and nudged me forward; I turned around and stroked the dragon's muzzle.

"Stay here for a bit, I shouldn't be long." Ah-Un gave a small grunt in understanding. "Akiko," Akiko looked at me, big gold eyes glittering in excitement. I pondered for a moment. Akiko had never been to a human village before, but then again, maybe there was priestess there. "I need you to stay here," She frowned but didn't complain. She

never argued, it was something she has learned from her father. "Very well, mama." As I walked down the hill and entered the village, I was sent a few curious glances but I ignored them.

I quickly found a small store where kimonos and other traveling clothes were made. I found a beautiful outfit for Akiko. It was a pair of white hakama's, with distinct baby blue wave markings at the bottom. The haori was somewhat similar to Sesshomaru's, except it had wave markings, and the top part of the shoulder had a slit, like Inuyasha's, to allow movement. I quickly took that one, and went looking for one for me. I soon found one that had a butterfly hem and was a sky blue color, with a faint purple color washing over it.

I picked that one out, and went to look for the store owner. Once I found her, I quickly paid for the clothes, packing them in the small leather pouch I had brought along. I then, bought some new water skins, and asked the store owner if he owned any honey comb. He shook his head.

As I was turning around to leave in search of honey comb, a priestess walked over to me. She had long chestnut hair pulled back into a high ponytail, and her large brown eyes bored into me. Her white and red priestess uniform flapped lazily with the wind before she stated in a monotone voice, "Come I have honey-comb."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. What was she up to? She walked away silently towards her home, giving me little chance to make up my mind. Her home, which was in the heart of the village, was a serene place. I walked inside after her, and waited until she started the fire, and then she left for a moment returning with a bag of honey-comb. She sat down and gestured for me to have a seat. I was cautious as I knelt on my knees, still looking at her with suspicion of an ulterior motive.

"What is you're name," she said. I saw no harm in letting her know my name so I told her, "My name is Rin." The woman looked up, "My name is Raion, and I am the priestess of this village. Though I'm sure you deduced this from the moment you saw me."

"Correction, your aura is what told me you were a priestess. Anybody can dress in priestess' attire and claim to be one."

Raion gave a smirk, "Tell me, Rin, do you have a husband?"

I smiled despite the odd question, "I have a husband, Lady Raion. He is currently away though, dealing with some business farther out in the west."

Lady Raion narrowed her eyes, "Tell me Rin, what would be you're husbands name?"

I smiled, "Why would you be so curious my lady?"

Raion grimaced, "You are carrying the child of a demon, girl. How could you be so sure he won't abandon you the moment you give birth, or eat you both?"

I began laughing at the thought. Sesshomaru eat a human? The thought was absurd, though he had eaten me in other ways before. I shook my head to clear the perverted thoughts for the moment. The thought of him abandoning me was something very far fetched. I smiled gently, remembering how he had told me silently so many times, through his eyes, how he loved me.

"Lady Raion my husband will not eat me. If he wanted to, he would've done so long before now," I chided.

Lady Raion growled, "You are truly naive girl. Demons have no emotions, yet you sound so sure that he will not kill you. How can you be so sure he will not leave you by yourself to raise the child, or be rid of you both in one fell swoop? Raising a child by yourself will be difficult; the very process of giving birth to a demon itself is difficult."

I smiled again, "Put you're mind at ease, my lady." I thought a bit, the priestess was not unlike others. She didn't seem to mind the child, but was more worried about our safety.

"I cannot. My sister had long ago fallen in love with a demon as well. She gave birth to his child, and he abandoned her soon after. She died a few years later from a broken heart, and as for the child, he now wanders alone. I would hate to see you meet the same fate as my sister," she said, "You must break all bonds with this demon and escape while you can."

I look at her in amazement; I had never met a priestess like this before. But then again not all priestesses have gone through the same thing as her.

"Lady Raion I know very well the complication of having a half-demon child. As I said before, put you're mind at ease, this child is not my first, but my second, and as for my husband, you claim that all demons are heartless and cruel. I have been with him for over thirteen years," I eased.

The priestess stared at me in wide-eyed shock, and repeated more to herself than me, "Thirteen years...amazing." She breathed, "Very well, but may I ask, who is this demon who has done this amazing thing as to reciprocate the feelings such as love?"

I thought for a moment about disclosing this information. "His name is Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands," I said softly, but proudly. Her eyes bulged, and she fell to her knees from her standing position.

"You mean… you are the Lady," She bowed her head respectively.

"Don't bow or kneel to me, I don't feel that is necessary," I said as I felt a faint blush on my cheeks.

Then I heard screams from outside the hut of," Half-Demon!"

I rushed outside to see Akiko snarling, her eyes beginning to turn a bright feral red and her teeth and claws began to extend, and eye markings began to get a bit longer too. She was backed up against a wall with a man ready to strike her down. I sprinted forward and grabbed the lance from the man, twisting it under, and swiping it under the mans' feet. I held the lance and Akiko ran forward and stayed behind me in fear. The men were angry and surprised.

"Woman, why do you defend the demon?! Get out of the way," He shouted angrily.

"Touch one hair on my daughters' head, and you might lose more than a hand," I snarled.

He looked taken aback, and he growled, "You mean you are the half-breeds' mother? Then you are no better than her! You are a demons whore! Vial wench!"

I put myself in a defensive position as the man stood up and gestured to the villagers.

"After we are done, we will kill you, you filthy half-breed loving wench," he roared. Then he threw a rock at Akiko and it grazed her cheek. I felt my blood begin to boil, and I knew he would regret those words.

"Disgusting vermin." I hissed.

I moved forward faster than he could blink, and punched him in the face, sending him flying back. The men rushed forward, and using the lance, I hit a man on the stomach with the opposite end. Then letting it go, I back flipped using the mans' shoulder for support, and kicked two other men on my left with my feet.

"Enough!" Raion cried.

I stopped and looked at her. All the men halted and I dropped the one I was currently holding by the neck.

"Stop this! Must you men always resort to violence," she said.

She looked at me and threw me my leather pouch, and I noticed it was a lot heavier than before.

I gazed at her; she moved forward, until she was standing in front of me, "Leave our village. You are not welcome here anymore." I narrowed my eyes at her, and she pushed my shoulder slightly, I turned around and Akiko stayed by my side, as well as the priestess, as we started walking away.

"Lady Raion where are you going," the men shouted.

She turned around, "I will escort the lady out. We do not know if she has any witches magic."

Once we were in the out skirts of the village she said, "I wish you well Lady Rin. I hope you and you're children have great happiness. You have my blessing." She bowed and then walked away.

I smiled and chuckled a bit at the interesting turn of events. As I opened the bag and look inside, my eyes widened when I saw enough honey-comb to last me months. A note fell out. I open it and read, "Consider it repayment for the trouble the village caused you."

I shook my head and then looked at Akiko. She was looking at me in amazement. "What," I questioned.

"You kick butt mama," I arched an eyebrow and began laughing.

End Flashback.

I stand up, not being hindered by my growing belly. I walk over to my mate; it is a humorous sight as he looks down at me. I stand on my toes, and reach up giving him a chaste kiss, and greeting him, "Welcome back Sesshomaru."

His usually cold eyes are warm and shine with love and adoration.

"I presume you were met by no trouble," he questions. I wanted to withhold the information until later, but cringed as Akiko speaks, as she now hangs upside down, looking at us from the tree I had sat under.

"Oh Papa, you should have seen mama kick that mans butt! She was awesome, and you should have seen the man's face, it was so funny!" Sesshomaru's posture stiffened even more; when he heard her use the word men's, meaning plural, as in more than one.

He looks at me, and I smile sheepishly, then, much to my horror, Akiko keeps going," She beat those men good, but that's what they get for calling mama a demons w-w-." I give her a look and she skips the word," then that ugly man tried to grab me, but mama punched him in the face! She sent him flying! Then all the men began ganging up on her and in two minutes, all of them were on the floor." She stated proudly. I grimace, for that was not the only reason I had beat up all of those men, but silently thank the gods as she left out that part.

I look at Sesshomaru and see his eyes cold and hard, filled with anger. He speaks, and I notice his fangs longer than usual," Did she, now?"

Akiko nods and puffs out her chest proudly," Yup! I have the greatest mother on the earth!" He says nothing, but his anger slowly fades as he calms. Then Akiko lifts her self up and walks on the branch to him, she hangs upside down once more.

I look at her suspiciously, as she is now directly hanging upside down in front of her father. She surprises me when she reaches out with small gentle clawed hands. She traces his stripes, and then his crescent moon, something she has not done since she was a baby. She traces his ear to the point, and then reaches for his hand, he lifts it up. She places her small hand against his large slender one; her dark eyes hold an unasked question.

"Don't get angry papa," She says.

His anger disappears completely, replaced by mild surprise, I give a small smile.

"Do not worry about me little one," He says gently. Akiko gives a small grin but the question is still there, and then the grin disappears being replaced by a frown.

"Papa," He gives her his attention," May I ask a question?"

"You may."

She opens her mouth to speak, but the closes it. Her eyes cloud over and she lifts herself up. A feeling of dread wells up in me. Whatever her question was, it wasn't good.

"What is a-"she stops," What does-"she stops again as she struggles to word her sentence, "What's a half-breed wench?"

Sesshomaru stiffens once more, as his golden eyes narrow and fill with malice; his claws extend and he gives a low growl. "An insult to a child born from a human and a demon.," he states.

Akiko stiffens and her face holds no emotion. Suddenly anger flicked on her face as she realized what that entire name calling was about and what those names were.

I sighed softly, knowing if I didn't calm Sesshomaru down he would go to village and kill the whole lot of them. I walk forward and place my hand on his arm. He looks at me, frustration in his eyes, "I need to speak with you anata. Akiko stay with Jaken and Ah-Un," I said.

I walked into the forest, and he followed after me. After walking for a while, I breathed out and sat down slowly on a fallen tree. I looked up at Sesshomaru, who was looking at me worriedly; he walked forward and sat next to me, pulling me into his embrace.

"I went to village to get a new kimono and some honey-comb. I managed to get the things I needed, however there was a priestess there," I felt his grip tighten. I leaned back and kissed the bottom of his chin, "Let me finish...she was different. She didn't mind that I was with a demons child. She was more worried about our safety. She was worried that you would abandon or eat me," I giggled a little, "I'll not go into detail at what I thought after she said that."

I voiced my perverted thoughts. He arched an eyebrow and his eyes filled with amusement, as his hand squeezed mine gently. His lips hinted a small smile, and he nuzzled his nose in my hair.

"But Akiko, she went into the village, I felled a few of the men who attempted to attack her, and Raion intervened. That's her name by the way. She led me out of the village and gave us her blessings as a priestess. Not only that, but she gave me enough honey-comb to last me the year." Sesshomaru rested his chin on her head. "Hnn," he grunted in thought. I squirmed a bit," Sesshomaru, don't you dare track the villagers down and kill them."

"Why shouldn't I? They tried to hurt you and my pups."

I chuckle, "Because I've already done enough damage."

He closed his eyes for a moment and said, "very well."

"Sesshomaru..." he shifted a bit, "I need to speak to you about something important...its Akiko."

He shifted again. I pulled away from his embrace and he stared at me strangely before he registered my serious gaze.

"During the village visit she did something strange...her eyes, they began to turn a feral red, her markings grew and so did her fangs and claws. Not only that, but her face shifted form for a second." Sesshomaru was listening to me carefully, and as he heard this, his expression grew a little shocked and was then replaced with a pleased expression.

"Sesshomaru does this mean she has the ability to transform into another form?"

He pondered for a moment, "Yes it does. What you saw was merely a tease transformation; it was nowhere near the real thing."

I was still worried, "Should I take this as good or bad news?"

He gazed at me steadily, "Good. It means she has more defense than a normal half-demon. Though why she can transform is something I don't understand yet." I was overwhelmed with happiness, glad that my daughter was stronger than most half-demons, and that she would be able to protect herself in the future.

I threw myself at Sesshomaru, kissing him on the lips. He stiffened a little, but then complied with my needy demands. His arm snaked around my waist and he kissed me back. Suddenly, I felt him smirk somewhat and I couldn't guess what was so funny that it could distract him from our current activities. Suddenly, he tilted his head and his tongue licked my lips. I opened my mouth willingly, and his tongue darted in. He pushed his tongue deeply into my mouth kissing me very passionately.

Suddenly, I heard a very loud, "EWWW!" I couldn't stop myself, as I began laughing into the kiss. I pulled away and laughed so hard I began turning red. I finally managed to control my laughter into little giggling fits, as Akiko came out of her hiding place in the tree. She had a horrified and grossed out expression sprawled across her face. She whined to Sesshomaru, "You're so mean papa! You knew I was there! That's why you did it! Argh! Now I'll have nightmares!" Her hands clasped her head dramatically, "Argh I'm scarred for life!"

Her fit made me burst into hysterical fits of laughter again. She shivered, and said, "Ugh."

She glared at Sesshomaru. While she was growling in disgust, he looked at with a serious expression, "Maybe you'll think twice next time about eavesdropping." She pursed her lips and turned her back to him throwing her nose to the air like a prima donna. Then, in a quick and unexpected move, to both me and Seshsomaru's surprise, she tackled him.

I laughed again as I saw the annoyed expression Sesshomaru had, due to being caught of guard by our four-year old daughter. I was glad my life was so carefree right now, and I wouldn't wish it any other way.


	3. Chapter 3

Akiko grinned, her two fangs glinting in bright, sunlight

Akiko grinned, her two fangs glinting in bright, sunlight. She glanced at her baby brother with loving and protective eyes, he was one year old now, but he was still rather small. He was surprisingly more like his mother than father. He had deep raven black hair, with white dog ears. He had a round soft featured face, with hazel eyes, and brown flecks. He bore one small sky blue mark on his cheeks, and was very calm and happy. His only resemblance to Sesshomaru was his royal markings nothing more.

He was also born in spring, not in winter like her. He was named Kioshi, and he was Akiko's reason to become as strong as was possible. She was determined to protect him from everything especially cruel and unfeeling humans. She was six now and was 5'1 pretty tall for six year old half-demon.

"Akiko." She turned to see her father. She ran to him and jumped on his shoulder," Yes, Papa?" He turned and began walking into the forest, she frowned," Papa? What is it?" he glanced at her and she fell silent. He walked for about a mile and then stopped in a clearing. She jumped off and looked up at questioningly. He looked at her, and then said," Show me you're hands." Akiko's eyes widened and she gulped, but unwillingly showed him her hands, palm forward, to reveal bruised and calloused hands. She smiled at him sheepishly as his eyebrows went down slightly and his eyes narrowed.

He bent down on one knee and took her hand in his large one. He then met her eyes," How long have you been doing this?" he said quietly demanding an answer. "Since Kioshi was born." He stared at her with a look of disapproval. "Why have you been pushing yourself so?" Akiko bit her lip, not wanting to reveal her motives, clenching her hands, accidentally revealing her purple knuckles. He narrowed his eyes even more," Akiko, answer me."

She gulped," I'm doing it because of Kioshi, Papa." She wasn't exactly telling the complete truth but Kioshi was a part of it. His eyebrows lifted," Because of Kioshi?" Akiko looked down and then up again meeting her fathers gaze squarely. "I _will _protect him, even if it costs my life. No one will ever lay a finger on my brother! That's why I have to train!" Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly, and then his lips twitched slightly.

Akiko was now very nervous she had raised her voice at her Papa, which was very big no. She braced herself waiting for the worst and then almost went completely limp. Papa, was rubbing her ear soothingly, something he had always down when she became extremely nervous or worried.

She relaxed into his hold and he lifted her up putting her on a tree branch so he only stood looking directly at her. "Akiko, there is no need for that, I will be he one handling these things. No harm shall come to Kioshi." Akiko smiled but was still persistent," But still I will train!" she said. His gaze never wavered," If you want to train, you will do it under my supervision, I do not want to see you're hands injured like this."

She smiled and nodded happily. He smoothed down her hair and then said," Show me what you have learned so far." Her eyes twinkled and she jumped down from the branch. She ran around making an X on a few trees and then behind a large curved rock. She ran to the center and he raised an eyebrow as she took out eight kunai. She grinned sheepishly again," Uncle Inuyasha gave them to me when we last crossed paths." He gave a soft growl and Akiko knew Uncle had a lot of pain coming his way.

She put on in between each finger and the tensed her leg muscles. She jumped up and twisted in the air, so she was upside down she opened her golden eyes, and began throwing them. She threw one at a tree behind her, to her left to the front, and then threw one at another kunai making them change their direction. She landed and looked around in satisfaction, all those weeks of training paid off. She hit all the marks, including the one in the blind spot.

She looked at her father who was looking at the blind spot. He then turned to her, approval shining in his eyes. Then he said," You've done well." He said then," Come, before you're mother becomes worried." Akiko gathered her kunai, and hoped onto his shoulder.

Sesshomaru began musing to himself,"_ She's done the same thing Rin had done. Like mother like daughter." _He then began thinking of ways to punish Inuyasha for giving his pup kunai. Honestly, who would give such a small pup weapons!

"Papa?" she said. She titled his head slightly in a gesture that he heard her. "Will you tell mama?" He answered swiftly," No." he felt her relax," Thank you Papa; mama would've thrown a fit."

She grabbed her throat dramatically, and fell off his shoulder. "I would never be able to survive her wrath!"


	4. new Developments

Akiko was lying down beside her little brother; he was three years old now and was a bit bigger. He was learning to walk and was a bit unsteady on his feet, the complete opposite from her. She touched the tip of his nose with hers and nuzzled him slightly, liking how he giggled. He reached forward with small, tender, clawed hands, and he gently grabbed her hair and tugged. She smiled at him, and pressed her lips to his neck blowing gently. He squealed and began giggling wildly. _(A/N: I think its called raspberry when you do that, I do that to my baby cousin on the stomach and it tickles him like hell)_

She smiled and lifted up his haiori slightly revealing his small pink baby stomach she tickled and blew on his stomach. He laughed and squealed even more. He squirmed and began thrashing his feet and waving his hands in the air wildly. She pulled back and rolled onto her back pulling him on top of her. She placed her hand on his hips and lifted him into the air above her. He giggled slightly and gave a baby laugh.

Akiko was now eight and 5'3, somewhat short for a demon, but close to her uncle's height at her age. Her skills were more than half-way developed thanks to her Papa. She, without his permission, had learned to transform and use her skills when she was transformed. She made sure only to do this when he was away, or when he and mama went on their private trips, and left her with Jaken, Ah-Un, and Kioshi. When Jaken fell asleep she would sneak away leaving Kioshi tucked in with Ah-Un.

She brought Kioshi into the cradle of her arms and rocked him slowly. She loved Kioshi more than the air she breathed; she would do anything and everything for her little brother if it meant keeping him safe and healthy.

Kioshi made a gurgling sound and let out a small cry. She looked at him, and smiled. He was thirsty; she got up and jumped into the thick forest jumping from tree to tree. When she caught the scent of the river she head straight toward it.

She landed by the river and found a got little grassy spot by it. She set him down and started a fire. She caught two fish and then began to cook them; she then got her water flask and filled it. She walked over to him and said," Kioshi Mama isn't here right now so you can't have milk. I'm sorry but can you please drink this for me?" she said softly. Kioshi blinked and reached out to her. She walked over and placed the end on his lips lifting it slightly.

He sucked on it, and pulled away. His lips smacked a little and he gurgled laughing. She smiled and gave him the flask he put it to his mouth, suckling on it. She gave him a toothy smile and his beautiful hazel eyes blinked glowing in admiration. She turned the fish on the fire, and waited a bit. After she inspected them she slit the side open a bit with her claw.

She looked at him, then the fish. She cut a small square chunk from the fish. She walked over to him and took the flask," Here try this, you can spit it out if you don't like it." Kioshi's nose twitched slightly as he sniffed. Seeing it was safe he opened his mouth, and she placed it in. He chewed it and tasted it thoroughly his eyes lit up and he cried for more. Akiko laughed and cut up a few more pieces, she handed it to him on by one before filling up the water flask again.

He drank his fill and then gave a small baby burp. Akiko laughed and then began eating her own fish, which had stayed warm over the fire. She sat back pulling the now napping Kioshi into her lap. She was full, warm, and content. She decided on a nap, seeing as how noon was still a little ways away.

She woke up and looked up to see the sun to the west. She had overslept because it was now two. Her little brother was awake, big hazel eyes staring at her impatiently and with a hint of mirth,_" A staring contests eh?" _She stared back, accepting the challenge.

Both continued staring for two long minutes before Kioshi giggled and reached out tracing her face, almost as if memorizing her. Akiko licked her dry lips and then went to the river and drank some water. She refilled her flask and gave it to Kioshi who drank from it greedily. She smiled gently at him, and then without warning a long white blade shot out. She shot forward grabbing Kioshi and wrapped her arms around him protectively and jumped back.

The scent of dog and earth invaded her senses and she looked around trying to find the culprit. Another few blades shot out and she jumped back avoiding each and every one of them. She panted a bit, but had to keep moving the blades were coming out in waves. But whatever was shooting the blades slammed into her and Kioshi got knocked out of her arms. "NO KIOSHI!" she cried.

Her body trembled and then was engulfed in a white light. In her place stood a large white dog, with smooth silver fur and feral red eyes. Her muzzle was sleek and smooth with midnight blue marks under her eyes, and a magenta crescent moon on her forehead. Ears stood directly on top of her head like a wolf, and her body was lithe and muscled, rippling under her skin.

She shot forward, grabbing Kioshi's obi between her razor sharp teeth. She ran as fast as her paws could take her, occasionally dodging a few blades, but when she took a sharp right turn and ran on a dirt path, they stopped. After running a mile or so more, she finally stopped. She set Kioshi down and scented the air; it was clear. She inspected Kioshi, eyes now turning into a soft golden color. His arm was slightly cut, and she gave a soft growl in anger.

His arm in a few minutes healed, and the scar faded into his skin. She transformed back, and winced at her calf seeing it sliced, and her head throbbing from the force of the tackle. Her body soon set to work on the wound on her calf and it faded into her skin after twenty minutes. She picked Kioshi up and lifted her nose into the air, as she caught the faint scent of her father. She sprinted forward, and after running non-stop for ten minutes, jumped into the path in front of her father. She sprinted forward and slammed into his chest. Minding Kioshi, she trembled slightly, still a little spooked from her attacker.

She heard her Mama give a cry, and felt her Papa's protective arm around her, and winced slightly as he touched one of her fading scars. "Akiko, look at me." She looked up at her Mama, and Rin began to check her over. Akiko refused to give up her baby brother, hands clutching him tightly, in fear that her attacker would come out again, despite the overwhelming aura of protection emanating from her parents.

Her papa began rubbing her ears in a soothing motion. Her worries started to fade, and she went limp in his arms. Her arms still attempting to clutch Kioshi tightly, she sighed softly. "Akiko," Papa said gently. "Pa? Something….attacked us…by the river…its gone far away now….I ran a lot….The river is probably a days walking travel from here…" Sesshomaru kept rubbing her ears gently, and in a rare display of emotion, gently said," Sleep my little one…"

Akiko gave a small cry and jolted up, from sleep, wincing slightly. Her Mama and Papa walked over to her. Her mama gently picked her up and placed her on her lap," Akiko, I need you to tell me what happened."

"I was with Kioshi by the river; he had gotten hungry so I decided to hunt. I fed him some fish, and he liked it by the way, and after that we were asleep all the way till two. After ten minutes blades began to shoot out of the forest. I ran because I couldn't fight with Kioshi with me. I didn't want him to get hurt, but that didn't work. Something crashed into me and Kioshi was knocked out my arms. I managed to escape him, but not before some damage had been done."

Papa gazed at her, and then said," You're attacker tried to poison you; however you're body has proven resistant to poison."

She gave a sharp intake of breath," Kioshi!" she shot up to her feet and was held down, by her mama.

"Honey…he's also immune to poison." Rin said.

Akiko relaxed, and looked around seeing him playing with a small leaf and twig. He turned to look at her, and giggled wildly. He crawled into her lap, giggled and to her shock said,"Ahaha big…ha-ha…sister…Aki…"

Rin gasped," He said his first words!" Sesshomaru looked at him in approval, and then at Akiko.

"You did well in protecting you're brother."

Akiko smiled," Thank you Papa." Her ears flicked forward, and twitched.

An inaudible whisper carried through the wind, reaching her," This isn't over." She stiffened defiantly, and smiled.

"Bring it on…I'm ready for whatever you bring next time," She whispered, making sure her parents didn't hear.


	5. IMPORTANT not a stupid message

Alrighty everyone first off I'd like to start that I have not been faithful to my stories as a good author should be. And second I wish to reassure everyone I'm not giving up on them. But since entering high school, I've realized my stories are in need of MAJOR editing, plot tweaking, and organization.

Because frankly they are going nowhere.

Second, I'd like to say though I'm glad for your support and kind reviews, it's time for a wake up call, I'd also like some critique to improve my stories. I don't mean flames; I mean real critique that will HELP me not put me down.

Also my beta will be gone for a few months so I do apologize ahead of time for any minor mistakes or major mistakes that I miss. And if you see one to point it out.

Another thing, I will be cutting down my computer time to make way for serious studying, which means less editing time. So I must resign myself to tell you to please have patience with me, as of now I'm not sure if I'm taking down the stories to edit them or leaving them up and replacing them with the new chapters.

Also I'm thinking of taking down the lemons, I might or might not repost them, I'm unsure. Why? I feel just a tad bit uncomfortable about them.

Also I IMPLORE, not demand, my readers to please read through the entire message below, because it surprises me how many people are ignorant or don't even CARE about the things I'm going to state below. I know fanfiction is to enjoy yourselves and you don't want this pelted at you but as of recently I feel it necessary to spread the word and help somehow, and if even only two of you read it, it might help.

IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ.

I'd like to say this to everyone please, please recycle whenever possible. Especially bottles, bags, and paper. Do you realize so much of our shit is going into the ocean it killing coral reefs? Which means *gasp* fishies without home which = to them dying.

DO you also realize that bags take at least, and I'm talking about small grocery bags people, 100 years to decompose? If not 150? I urge any pet owners out there to buy, in fact anyone to buy biodegradable bags.

**The Benefits**

**Less landfill.** Inside regular trash bags, even your fruit scraps will more likely mummify than ever decompose.

**Solid durability. **Even though biobags degrade in as few as 10 days (that's in a municipal compost), they're surprisingly strong.

**Comparable pricing.** A pack of biodegradable or recycled trash bags might cost $1 more than a box of the usual suspects, but it's still affordable.

_**CAT OWNERS**_: • Try litter made from recycled newspapers. The paper absorbs just as well as conventional clumping litter, but this approach helps the environment by reusing resources. Two great brands are Yesterdays News and Good Mews.

• Another great option is litter made from reclaimed wood. Sawdust that would normally end up in landfills is concentrated without the use of dangerous chemicals to produce environmentally safe litter. Two brands are Nature's Earth and Catfresh.

**Tips: At the end of the school year instead of throwing all your papers away why don't you try throwing them in the recycling bin. If everyone who read this did that, can you imagine how much paper you're saving and how many trees you're saving? **

If you want more tips your welcome to contact me at any time, you warmly welcome to. I also recommend for those of you who have TV to watch Stuff Happens, the show basically tells you how you can save energy, recycle, and reduce pollution in a fun way. (No I'm not trying to advertise.)

Another thing for any High Schoolers, I recommend if you don't have one to start a Green Club. No it won't make you look stupid, in fact it's very popular in my school, but so many high schools don't have one.

The club basically organizes methods for recycling like say they talk with their local recycling company, get bins at place them around the school, and take boxes to classes for paper. I know it doesn't sound like a lot of fun, but it actually is, especially after school when you go around collecting the recyclables, and you could also decorate the bins.

I say this **not **to demand or guilt you into it, but encourage you to begin to practice these things. Adults and environmentalists don't repeat these things to us over and over and over to annoy us, but because their trying INFORM us, so we can help ourselves and our environment.

And it surprises me that a lot of people don't recycle because they think they'll be viewed as environmental freaks. That's not true your just helping improve out way of life and you should be proud of that. Another thing is because a lot of people think, _Ah well, let other people handle this, what's one bottle in the trash going to do? _

Yeah? Really? How many bottles do you think are thrown away from people thinking the same way and in the U.S alone?

3 million. Every. Single. Freakin. Day.

NOT COOL MAN. That's fuckin insane.

_I don't mean to sound like a teacher but now, especially in this time we have to start getting resourceful. We have to stop putting these things off, we as the future generation need to keep the earth healthy for our children. People need to understand, this isn't a game, this is serious. _

Thank you to everyone who bothered to actually read all of this, and ask you not be annoyed with me or even irritated, but even if I lose half of my readers over this it's worth it because at least those readers KNOW now. That's all I want.

Until Later, Domi.


End file.
